Gracie's Saiyuki Short Story Collection
by Grace Musica
Summary: Formerly 'Late Night Musings'. A collection of oneshot stories under 1,000 words written for the 1000mileswest livejournal community. WARNING: May contain some offensive couplings, subject matter, lauguage, et cetera.
1. Late Night Musings

Title: Late Night Musings  
Date Written: 7/10/05  
Non-Challenge  
Word Count: 525  
Rating: K  
Pairings: Gonou/Kanan  
Notes: A longer version of two connected drabbles written, which are posted over on 100roadtrips. Half Kanan's POV, half Gonou's.  
---  
He's up writing again. 

I can hear the faint scribble of pen on paper, the faint lamp light filtering in through my eyelids. I roll over in our bed, feigning sleep and put my hand on his side of the bed. The sheets are cool to the touch; he's been up for a while.

I roll back over and climb out of bed as quiet as possible, but the squeaking of the mattress springs breaks him from his reverie. He looks over at me, pushing his glasses up with the heel of his hand. "I woke you, didn't I?"

I shake my head in denial, not trusting myself to voice the lie. He knows, however--he's not dense--and sighs before turning back to the desk. I move behind him, looking over his shoulder. Philosophical proofs litter the expanse, some papers heavy with black scratch-outs, others forming neat lines in his concise hand. I have barely enough knowledge of the subject to realize what it is, but beyond that I'm lost. While we both excelled in school, his mind gravitated towards mathematics, sciences and philosophy while mine was content to fill with and analyze literature.

My hands glide over the bare skin of his back, warming the chilled flesh. He relaxes a little into my touch, and I catch myself before I ask if I can help. It would only disturb him, and I seriously doubt that I could help him come up with some great wonderful philosophical breakthrough.

Gonou has two loves: Philosophy, and me. In that order.  
---  
Sometimes I hate myself, the part of me that over analyzes. It keeps me up at night, writing at all hours, keeping myself from her.

It tears her up inside. And I have no way to heal the wound I've created.

I feel her hands leave my skin, watch from beyond the blurred edge of my glasses as she moves from behind me to the kitchen. I can hear her rummaging around in there, but soon the thoughts in my head are too loud, drowning out the outside world. The words flow from my mind down my arm to end up on the paper in front of me.

_...While we understand much of how the brain learns, remembers, and even emotions, there appears to be a gap between the ability to learn and experiences we have --_

I stopped writing mid-sentence as Kanan set a steaming mug of green tea by my hand. I stared at it, not brave enough to meet her gaze.

She moves behind me, heading for the bed, and I grab her, pulling her to me. I lay my head on her stomach, nuzzling her softness through the thin nightgown she's wearing. "You know I love you, right Kanan?" I mumble against her warmth, my arms wrapped possessively around her waist.

I sense her smile above me, and slim fingers wind through my hair. "I know, Gonou, I know."

We kiss gently and she retreats to our bed, pulling the comforter up to her neck.

I wait until her breathing slows to turn back to my paper.  
---


	2. End of All Things

Title: End of All Things  
Date Written: 7/11/05  
Challenge # 1: The End  
Word Count: 680  
Warnings: Involves gore, mass murder, et cetera. Rating T to M  
Notes: I honestly have no idea where this came from. I'm not this dark normally, I swear.  
---  
The small part of the consciousness that was Goku, buried deep inside the psyche that was the raging Seiten Taisei, registered small things: 

The warm wash of blood.

Screams of terror.

The scent of death.

The taste of blood.

The heat from the sun, scorching the back of his neck.

And then pain. A blinding, terrifying, binding type of pain, shoving Goku into the forefront and harnessing the beast that resided inside him. The force the coronet had when leashing his powers almost made him pass out, but a small, nagging sensation told him to stay awake. It's important, it whispered, very important.

Flat on his back, an arm slung over his eyes to block the sun, his eyelids fluttered slightly, the stench of blood and death whirling around him, almost making him sick. He felt sticky all over and knew he was probably covered in dark demon blood. The coppery taste was even in his mouth.

He stood carefully, booted feet sliding over slick sand, gained his bearings and looked.

Piled high around him in a crater-like formation lay hundreds of thousands of demon bodies. Dark blood ran down the mountains in rivulets, soaking into the sand and creating a bloody pool of quicksand.

Goku carefully climbed over the bodies, fighting back tears. _It had been the only way_, he told himself. _If I hadn't taken off my limiter, Sanzo and--_

Goku froze. Where the hell was Sanzo? And Hakkai? And that damn water sprite? Even Hakuryu was nowhere to be found.

Calling out to his travel mates, Goku grew more and more frantic when his voice wasn't answered. He couldn't feel their auras, he couldn't find them--

_Oh, gods, if they're dead I'm going to die too--_

And then he froze.

His friends--his travel mates and the people he was supposed to consider as enemies but considered more as companions--his family lie dead at his feet.

Goku fell to his knees as he realized all of them were bloody and broken, obviously dying during the fight of their lives. Their bodies were riddled with claw marks and he could see a bite mark on the neck of Hakuryu, the dragon lying next to his master.

The worst, however, was Sanzo, the closest to him. There was a hole in his chest, and a half-eaten heart next to his body.

Goku quickly turned and vomited on the blood-soaked ground, the acrid taste of bile not diluting the taste of blood and flesh.

_Me... It was ME! Oh, gods, please, kill me..._

He barely registered a hand on his back as he continued to be sick, the contents of his stomach now strewn across the sand and continuing to expell green bile. When finally nothing would come up, and his dry-heaving spell stopped, he scrubbed his arm furiously and whirled on the person behind him.

There stood Kanzeon Bosatsu, the Merciful Goddess, in all her glory.

"Kill me," Goku begged her.

She shook her head.

"You're the fucking Goddess of Mercy! KILL ME!"

"I can't," came the soft reply. A hand came up to comb through disheveled hair. "Why do you think you were locked up before?"

Tears were pouring from golden eyes. "I don't know, I can't remember..."

"_That_ is my mercy, Son Goku," the goddess said, leaning down to kiss his forehead...  
---  
"Goku!"

"Monkey!"

Goku woke up with a start, tears pouring down his face. He looked up to find Hakkai and Gojyo leaning over him, looks of concern on their face. The memory flashed back to him: Inn, Sanzo got the bed, futons for the three of them.

"Are you okay?" Hakkai asked hesitantly.

Goku glomped both the human-turned-demon and the half-demon, crying even harder.

Gojyo and Hakkai exchanged curious glances over the demon's head.

"That must have been one hell of a dream, chimp."

Goku turned towards Sanzo and launched himself off the floor into his master's lap, hugging him tight around the waist, sobbing and apologizing.

"What the hell are you babbling about?" Sanzo told him in his gruff/fond manner, and Goku raised tear-filled eyes up to his sun. "It was a dream. Go to sleep, monkey."

After his sobs had quieted, Goku slept, his head resting on Sanzo's chest, lulled to sleep by the gentle thud of the priest's heartbeat.  
---


	3. Driftwood

Title: Driftwood  
Date Written: 7/13/05  
Non Challenge  
Word Count: 587  
Warnings: PG-13 for slight language, probably worksafe  
Notes: This was originally supposed to be a drabble, but I couldn't fit everything into 100 words.  
---  
Buddhists, as a rule, are pacifists. Buddhist monks, especially so.

However, priest Koumyou Sanzo wondered vaguely if 'homicide under extreme duress' applied.

He was grateful to his master, the late Sanzo for both the upbringing the man had given him and the title he had been passed. He secretly enjoyed teaching the little ones, liked watching them come to grasp with what they were being bestowed and their eyes lighting up with knowledge.

But he also liked the fact that he could get away with a lot, too. Such as his long hair: The fact that his purple mane reached his lower back was a topic of conversation among the temple, especially the temple elders. He liked to smoke, too, watching the gray-blue drift up against the blue infinity of sky.

Right now, he hated the monks. With a fucking passion. If he didn't know his conscious would nag him about it, he'd lay waste to the entire temple with the Seiten and Maten scriptures. They were like a broken record: "Master Sanzo, Master Sanzo, Master Sanzo..."

And then there was the voice.

It had started about a month ago, a whisper of consciousness in the back of his, a soft murmuring sound. About a week ago, he had trouble both falling and staying asleep, and the voice grew louder, more desperate.

_Help me..._

"Master Sanzo?"

Koumyou sighed, he'd been caught. And the Chang'An had been so peaceful too, watching the water flow by, taking his anger and cares along with its current...

A piece of flotsam caught his eye, and at first he dismissed it as a piece of driftwood. Then he heard the cry of a baby, and that sent him headlong into the icy water, barely taking the time to toss the scriptures to one side.

"Master Sanzo!"

_Shut up, you sheep_, the priest growled inwardly, fighting the flow of water to finally snag his prize. It was a basket, waterproofed with mud and reeds and covered in bark to hide it. He vaguely wondered what mother would do such a thing before the urgent crying of the baby within told him that the infant needed out of the water.

He managed to make it back to shore before collapsing on the soft grass, the monk that had been sent after him gasping and running to his side, babbling to make sure his beloved master was all right.

"I'm fine, you twit, check the baby!" Koumyou demanded, waving a hand. When the monk blinked at him, unsure, the high priest shoved him to one side and opened the basket to look inside.

Wrapped in cream-colored cloth and a string of prayer beads was a baby boy, no more than a week old. He was relatively clean and well-fed, which signaled he hadn't been in the water long, and had a halo of soft blonde hair around his head. Tears trickled down from his eyes as he wailed, his little face screwed up tight.

Without thinking, Koumyou bent and drew the child out from the basket, holding him gently and rocking him back and forth. The baby instantly stopped crying at the presence of a warm body and a heartbeat and opened startlingly amethyst eyes to peer up critically at the high priest.

"I like your look," the man replied, laughing slightly. "I've been in need of an aide..."

"Master?"

"Come on," Koumyou told the monk calmly, nudging the basket at the man with his foot. "Let's get back. I'm sure he's hungry."

_Thank you._  
---


	4. Playing with Dolls

Title: Playing with Dolls  
Date Written: 7/14/05  
Non Challenge  
Word Count: 560  
Warnings: Spoilers for the movie. Definately M  
Notes: Just what _exactally_ was Dougan doing with the Sanzo party shikigami behind closed doors? And why am I so dark lately?  
---  
To Dougan, Genjo Sanzo was like a porcelain doll--you look at it, keep it up on your mantle, admire its beauty, but never touch it. For some reason, the young monk-in-training realized that the high priest was capable of breaking. 

Why he allowed that-- that-- that... rough, annoying, STUPID monkey to accompany him where ever he went was beyond him.

In the end, the monkey would break his porcelain doll.

That's why he had to kill them all, before the doll shattered. He had decided that long before he left to train.

He had trained to destroy the three strongest people Sanzo had surrounded himself with.

When his doll had refused to play nice, when he had left the priest behind at the temple in Chang'an, the young man had lost it.

If his doll wanted to play with those rough people, _he_ would be the one to break the doll.

After many failed experiments, he finally created the perfect Sanzo shikigami. In Dougan's head, whenever he looked at it, he could hear Sanzo's gruff voice yelling at someone, or smell his scent--gunpowder and tobacco. The doll was flawless, and he never touched it in a careless manner.

The others he abused. Sometimes he would strike and cut and burn them so much all that remained would be a scrap of orange origami paper. He enjoyed making his Gojyo and Hakkai and especially his Goku doll do menial labor and abuse them. They were the perfect prisioners, crying out and begging for mercy at just the right moments.

And why wouldn't they? Their Master had made them that way.

One night, after indulging in too much fine wine, Dougan decided to see how realistic his Sanzo doll really was. The blonde shikigami was standing in the corner, violet eyes glowing with an artificial life.

The human-turned-demon walked over to it, brushing his fingertips over the skin on its cheek. He felt real, soft and warm to the touch.

Dougan licked his lips, and so did his shikigami. He rubbed his thumb over pale pink lips, wiping away a drop of moisture. So real, so lifelike...

Before he realized what was happening he was kissing the doll hungrily, the shikigami pressed back against the wall, responding in kind. He tasted human, not like the dirt he had been created out of.

Clothes were stripped from flesh. Dougan's claws dug into flesh, and he watched, amazed, as dark brown blood oozed from the wound, drying into dirt and falling off pale skin in granules. A delicate lick, and the blood actually tasted coppery, not gritty, and the skin was salty with sweat.

The redhead had the shikigami on the long mahogany table, reveling in the unexpected wetness, warmth, and tightness of his doll.

So very, very _human_...  
---  
Wu Han shuttered again under a steaming shower, scrubbing at her naked flesh furiously. Thank the gods that sick bastard found her repulsive. For once, she was grateful to be a half-breed, even if she was, in a sense, dead. After witnessing that man doing such a gross thing to a shikigami, she had vomited all the way back to her room, feeling unclean. Her skin was raw and on the verge of bleeding, but she didn't care. She couldn't feel physical pain anymore anyway.

And _she_ was the demon?  
---


	5. Brotherly Love

Title: Brotherly Love  
Date Written: 7/14/05  
Non Challenge  
Word Count: 566  
Rating: T  
Warnings: Domestic violence and language.  
---  
"I FUCKING HATE YOU!" 

Seven-year-old Jien winced as something expensive-sounding smashed against the wall in the room next door. His parents were fighting--they had been since early this morning.

Across the room, a baby's cry floated up from the cradle set up in his bedroom. Jien slid off his bed and padded over to the cradle, climbing up on a step stool so he could lean over the wooden grating to peer down at what his father had told him was his half-brother.

The baby had the same dark complexion as him and his father, but he had a shock of red hair on his head, signifying that he was what his mother called 'a taboo child', a child of mixed parentage.

Jien could care less if he was half-dog; half their blood was the same. He was a little brother, something to protect and love. He had wanted a sibling for a long time now.

But why did he have to stay in his bedroom?

The young demon's small hand reached down to stroke the feather soft hair, dark eyes watching the baby boy intently. "Don't cry, please?"

The infant relaxed against Jien's touch, the cries fading down into soft whimpers. Jien followed the softness of the baby's hair to his chubby cheek, smiling slightly as crimson orbs opened slowly. "Hi."

Gojyo--that was the baby's name, after all--cooed back at him, smiling in turn.

"I'm your big brother, Jien," the older Sha said, smiling a bit wider as the little one reached up and wrapped stubby fingers around his pointer finger. He shook the tiny hand gently.

Another crash came from the next room. Gojyo made a small fussy sound, his toothless smile disappearing.

"It's okay." Jien reached down and picked up the baby, wrapping his ams around the infant protectively. He bounced up and down gently, rocking back and forth. "Mom just gets like that sometimes." He smiled down at his little brother, stroking soft crimson hair.

The bedroom door was wrenched open, the hinges protesting fiercely against the action. His mother stormed in and promptly smacked him across the face.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT ABOMINATION!"

Time froze. Jien was shocked--his mother had never raised a hand towards him. He stared at his father, wide-eyed, a hand protecting Gojyo's head.

Then his mother lunged at the half-breed in her son's arms, her claws digging into the flesh on Jien's arm. The seven-year-old cried out, wrenching away and losing balance, falling on his side. Gojyo wailed, shaken and scared, and Jien instinctively curled up around the baby.

Jien heard a thud behind him, and looked over his shoulder to see his parents in a position he'd never seen before: His father had his mother up against the door, one hand on her shoulder, the other at her throat. His lips were drawn back in a snarl, elongated canines bared.

"If you touch EITEHR Of my sons in such a manner ever again, I'll rip your fucking throat out," he said in a voice so low, it sent chills down Jien's spine. "You got it?"

Jien's mother made a gasping sound, nodding. His father released him, and she slid to the floor, rubbing her neck. When she finally could speak, she said only four words:

"Fuck you, Sha Dokugakuji."

Sha Dokugakuji turned his back to her and put his arms around his two sons.  
---


	6. Just a Taste

Title: Just a Taste  
Date Written: 7/21/05  
Non Challenge  
Word Count: 489  
Rating: M  
Pairings: Gonou/Kanan, Hakkai/Gojyo  
Notes: **Sexually explicit content.** Read with caution.  
---  
Before Kanan, Hakkai--well, Gonou, actually--had kissed quite a few girls. 

Kanan had tasted better than the others by far.

Hakkai knew he was still in love with Kanan, and that he always would...

But he couldn't help but want a taste of his half-breed best friend.

He knew that Gojyo 'did' men--his demon sense of smell could distinguish the scent of feminine arousal from male pheremones when he did their laundry. It was unspoken between them, this acceptance of who they were without running to tell. While this fact would normally push friends apart, it intrigued Hakkai. He could understand the allure of women; soft curves, the scent of perfume and pheremones mixing, their taste and feel.

The allure of men? Men were all hard angles. He thought long and hard about it, going over and over the possible reasons for sexual attration to men in his head.

Finally, he decided it had to be the taste. He had no idea how men tasted, since he had never had the experience. All of his lovers, be it kissing or otherwise, had been women. Maybe if he had the experience, he'd be able to understand it...

Gojyo's hand on his shoulder jerked him out of his reverie. "Hey man, you okay?"

Hakkai blinked, a little startled, and the redhead chuckled, placing a steaming mug of coffee in front of the green-eyed man. he stared at the man next to him, his eyes fixig on the pale lips of his friend. He wondered again what Gojyo would taste like, over the taste of stale beer and cigarettes.

As if in answer, the taboo man leaned over and kissed the human-turned-demon, a talented tongue sneaking into his mouth when he gasped in surprise. There was the expected taste of alcohol and smokes, but an underlying current of what could only be Gojyo, faintly watery but distinctively male.

Years of celibacy sent lust raging full-force through his veins, shutting down all logical thought. Cloth ripped under light tan hands as his moth devoured the skin they eposed. Hakkai roughly pushed Gojyo back onto the table, ignoring the crash of breaking plates and the splash of scalding coffee as he pulled Gojyo's boxers off, exposing his erection and leaving the half-breed naked. He took the engorged dick in his mouth, sucking hard. The taste of Gojyo he had tasted in their kiss was stronger now and flooded his senses along with the salt tang of precum.

**SNAP**

Hakkai jumped, eyes focusing on Gojyo next to him, fully clothes.

_Shit_, he thought, _that was one fucking descriptive fantasy._

"You okay man?" Gojyo asked, touching his elbow, worry evident in his voice.

Hakkai simply smiled, crossing his legs to hide his developing erection. "Just thinking a little too much," he replied, lifting his coffee mug for a taste.

The coffee was black and tasted bitter, and Hakkai wondered if Gojyo's cum would be bitter too.  
---


	7. The Five Senses

Title: The Five Senses  
Date Written: 7/22/05  
Non Challenge  
Word Count: 783  
Rating: M  
Pairings: Gojyo/Hakkai  
Notes: **Sexually explicit content.** Read with caution. Sequel to 'Just a Taste'.  
---  
When Hakkai first began living with Gojyo, the two had to save up for another bed. 

By the time they had the money to buy another bed, the two were so used to having another person lying in bed next to them that they ended up sleeping in the old bed anyway.

It didn't matter, really. They respected one another's personal space, more or less. Occasionally, they would wake up cuddled against one another, but they'd share a laugh and have breakfast. The want for physical contact was nothing to be embarrassed about: they were young men, with _needs_, damn it. A warm body was a warm body was a warm body.

For the two friends, that meant comfort, trust enough to fall asleep in the presence of another without having to worry that the other would slit their throat while they slept.

Even as Gonou, Hakkai always found sleep elusive. His brain often buzzed when his body was screaming for sleep, filling his dreams with philosophical arguments, calculus proofs, and long-dead Greek men.

Lately, however, fantasies of Gojyo had been keeping him half-awake and tossing, and usually ended with him hiding in the bathroom, stroking himself to completion.

It was on one such night that Hakkai stumbled back to their bed, the moonlight filtering through thin curtains to illuminate a shock of red hair, giving it a burnished silver instead of the usual blood red.

The demon paused, touching the hair gently. It was soft and silken under his fingertips. His hand moved to caress the scarred skin of one cheek; it was slightly leatherly from the sun, but soft and warm at the same time. Hakkai crawled under the covers, snuggling against the sleeping half-breed. Asleep, Gojyo instinctively wrapped his arms around the demon.

Hakkai buried his face into the juncture between Gojyo's neck and his shoulder, inhaling Gojyo's scent along with the soap he had used during his shower and the cigarettes he had smoked before turning in. With his ear on the redhead's shoulder, he could hear the faint 'tha-thump' of his friend's heart.

_Such a beautiful sound..._

The fleeting thought of how Gojyo tasted flashed in his mind, and Hakkai licked his lips, contemplating.

_If I wake him up, I'll never live it down... But if I don't act now, I'll regret it..._

So Hakkai stomped back the unsure, wary part of his consciousness and moved a little closer, his tongue sliding between pale pink lips to touch Gojyo's skin lightly, a spot of saliva remaining behind, glistening in the moonlight.

His skin was slightly salty and tasted... _wonderful_. As good as Kanan, maybe even better. He latched onto Gojyo's neck like a vampire, licking at the skin, not caring if the man woke up.

And Gojyo did awaken, but instead of pushing the man away, he pulled him closer, moaning aloud as Hakkai continued to assault the sweet, sensitive spot on his neck.

Bedclothes rustled as mouths met, tongues dueling, arms and legs entwining. The two rubbed against one another, Gojyo rolling over to press Hakkai back into the mattress. It was surreal, only the moonlight illuminating them, lust fuzzing out eveything but a few snapshots of memory.

The feeling of wet heat on his cock, long red hair hiding the view of Gojyo sucking him, long fingers twined into the strands.

The drag of his tongue along Gojyo's shifting stomach muscles, the taste of salt tang in his mouth, his hands dragging along tan sides.

Gojyo's back beaded with sweat, white-knuckled hands gripping the headboard, rocking in time with his thrusts into the redhead's hot, tight, fucking _incredible_ body.

The sound of Gojyo panting his name, over and over, his hand pumping his lover's cock as he orgasms, white-hot seed spilling through his fingers...

"...ai. Hey, Hakkai, you awake yet?"

Hakkai opened his eyes and jumped slightly. Gojyo's face was mere inches from his own, a worried expression on his face.

"You all right, man? Don't you have work?"

The half-breed shook an alarm clock which declared that Hakkai had twenty minutes to make it to class before the school day started.

_Fucking HELL, it was a dream_, the demon lamented to himself as he hurriedly dressed, running out the door with his belt and tie around his neck, his briefcase in one hand and the other carrying his morning cup of coffee, the end of his toothbrush sticking out of it like a spoon.

Gojyo sighed inwardly, pulling back the covers to smile at the damp spot in the middle of the bed. The scent of sex waifted off the sheets as Gojyo stripped the bed to wash the sheets, limping slightly as he headed for the washer machine.  
---


	8. Why?

Title: Why?  
Date Written: 7/23/05  
Non Challenge  
Word Count: 459  
Rating: T  
Pairings: Gojyo/OC(s), Gojyo/Hakkai  
Notes: A little something that came to mind when I was writing _Just a Taste_ and _The Five Senses_.  
---  
Sometimes, long after the lights had gone out, Gojyo and Hakkai would talk long into the night. When it first began, the two would laugh so much, Gojyo felt like a child at a sleepover. Slowly, he realized why the two of them felt at such ease with one another, laughing and sharing secrets: they were two little brothers desperately missing their older siblings. 

Eventually the dark became a wonderful hiding place, where Gojyo could make himself sound as just a friend without having to guard his facial expressions the way he had to during the day.

One night, after a particularly long night earing his keep at the bar gambling, he stumbled into their bed. Hakkai rolled over on his side as the bedsprings squeaked.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Gojyo asked, leaning over to jab out his final cigarette in the glass ashtray he knew was on the side table.

"No, it's okay, I couldn't sleep anyway."

The two were restless for about five minutes as they adjusted for sleep, tugging on covers, arranging themselves so they would be comfortable and not invading one another's personal space too much.

"Hey, Gojyo?"

"Hmn?"

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure, man."

"Why don't you come home smelling like sex anymore?"

And there it was. Like an arrow straight to the heart. Hakkai always did like to get straight to the point; it was one of the few attributes he had kept as both Gonou and Hakkai, Gojyo noted. He was quiet for a moment, and Hakkai took it as a signal to expound on his question.

"I mean, you used to come in with the scent of passion clinging to your clothes, but now it's just smokes and liquor and very faintly of perfume, but not like it used to be..."

_What should I tell him?_ Gojyo wondered to himself as Hakkai trailed off into the dark. _"The last month I fucked cheap whores I had to imagine your face to get hard"? "And that I had to fuck them from behind so I could stay that way"? "Whenever I came, I would scream your name"? "All the green-eyed women in town hate me now"? Or, ooh, I know, the kicker: "I want you so badly that you should be afraid to fall asleep in my presence". Yeah, that one works._

Instead, he chose to roll over, facing away from Hakkai. "I just don't feel like it. Why, does it bother you?"

"No, it doesn't. I was just curious."

Gojyo made a noncommittal noise in the base of his throat. He heard Hakkai roll over behind him.

"Good night, Gojyo."

Gojyo crossed his legs, hoping that his half-erection would fade before bed. "'Night, Hakkai."  
---


	9. A WHA?

Title: A-WHA?  
Date Written: 7/24/05   
Word Count: 599  
Non Challange  
Pairings: Kou/Yao, Goku/Lirin, one-sided Sanzo/Goku  
Rating: K+  
Notes: Giftfic to the livejournal user imparfait, inspired by one of her plot bunnies.  
---  
"Lord Kougaiji?" 

Kougaiji sighed from behind his desk, not looking up from his stack of papers. "Yaone, for the last time, you are my wife, please call me by my first name, at least."

"Kou...!"

The nickname made him stop, his pen paused halfway to another paper, and look up at his apothecary-turned-wife. She was dressed simply, both of them still unused to the robes of royalty. Her hands were clasped together in front of her, the fingers clasped together tight. It had all the bearings of bad news.

So he stood and crossed over to her, taking her into his arms and pulling her to him. "What's wrong?" he asked, laying her head on his shoulder and running his fingers through her hair to calm her.

"It's Lirin..."

Kougaiji laughed a little to himself. "What has she done this time, used magic to scare the servants again?"

Yaone shook her head. "She's, uh"  
---  
Dokugakuji and Gojyo stopped halfway in the middle of their conversation, looking at each other. Since the defeat of Gyumaoh some months before, the Sanzo party had elected to stay behind and lend a hand until the deomn kingdom had settled down.

"Did you hear something?" the elder brother asked the half-breed, who nodded.

"Sounded like your king," the redhead replied, as the two looked up and down the hallway.

And who should come storming by, but Kougaiji, his royal robes flying out behind him. Yaone was right behind him, grabbing the back of his robes in a futile effort to slow him down. "Kou? What is it?" Doku asked at the look of fury on his lord's face.

"Must kill the monkey..." the demon spit out, not slowing down a bit as the two Sha brothers latched onto each one of his arms; one to save a friend, the other to prevent a murder.

"What is it?" Dokugakuji demanded, looking back at his friend.

"Lirin and Goku have been shaing a bed recently," the apothecary replied. "And Lirin said she was late."

Gojyo and Dokugakuji stared at each other and redoubled their grasp on Kougaiji.  
---  
In a small, bare room in the castle, with Sanzo outside the door with a gun to Kougiaji, Hakkai stood staring at Goku and Lirin. He crossed his arms, looking at the two intently.

"Hakkai, what's going o--" The look on Hakkai's face stopped Goku's question halfway through.

"Now, children, I realize that the two of you have gotten yourself into a bit of trouble..." Hakkai began, crossing his arms.

Goku and Lirin looked at one another, then back at Hakkai. "Trouble?"

"Yes. You see, since the two of you are going to be having a child, there are certain--"

"Child?" Goku asked, giving Hakkai a double take. "Don't you have to have sex to have a child?"

Hakkai's brows furrowed, looking at the two youths. "You mean you haven't?"

Lirin shook her head. "Hell no! Sometimes Sanzo's a meanie and he stays with me, but I would never SLEEP-sleep with him."

"Then what were you late for?"

"Those stupid lessons Yaone's making me take 'cause I'm a _princess_," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"So let me get this straight: the two of you have been sharing a bed, but in a strictly plutonic way? I mean, like a brother and sister?" he ammended at the confused looks on the children's faces at the word 'plutonic'.

The two nodded. "Besides, GOKU likes SANZO," Lirin informed Hakkai, which began a small spat between the two friends.

Hakkai chuckled nervously and sweatdropped as a gunshot sounded on the other side of the door. "Oh my..."  
---


	10. The Luck Child

Title: The Luck Child  
Date Written: 7/27/05  
Non Challenge  
Word Count: 551  
Pairings: Human/Demon unnamed characters, Hakkai/Gojyo  
Rating: K+  
Notes: Non challenge drabble, inspired by the Russian folktake of the same name.  
---  
"Gojyo?" Hakkai asked, looking from side to side. He stopped and turned around to see Gojyo standing dead still about ten feet behind him, staring across the town square. The human-turned-demon followed the half-breed's gaze, gasping to himself when he saw what had caught Gojyo's eyes.

A family, four children and two parents, were walking home after a day in town. The two young boys and a little girl carrying grocery bags while talking animatedly with their parents, the father holding a sleeping younger girl in one arm, his other arm around his wife, who in turn had a protective hand over her swollen belly. They were all given a wide berth by the other townspeople, making it very easy for them to be pointed out.

The sunlight glinted off a coil of gold around the father's neck--a power limiter. The four children had bright red hair and eyes, a stark contrast to their parents' dark features.

Townspeople were whispering and pointing, and whispering and pointing at Gojyo, who was ignoring them. Inwardly, Hakkai was very impressed--a demon with a will strong enough to keep his sanity from the Dark Wave? That human had one hell of a catch, although he was sure she knew that.

Next to him, Gojyo moved, walking intently towards the family, and Hakkai followed. The villagers separated like water before them, something that often happened around the half-breed, but something that still unnerved his demon friend. A hush fell over the square, and even the family noticed, stopping as Gojyo and Hakkai walked towards them.

Gojyo looked intently into the children's eyes--there was no trace of sadness or despair in those young crimson eyes. He smiled down at them, squatting down to their level. "I want you to remember something, from one half-breed to another." He looked at the three children in front of him, making sure he had their attention before continuing. "No matter what anyone says, you are not children of taboo." He looked up at the two adults and smiled. "You are children of love. You are Luck Children. Do you understand?"

Three crimson heads nodded, and Gojyo ruffled their hair fondly. "Good. And make sure your younger siblings know that, okay?"

Three more nods. Gojyo grinned widely and stood next to Hakkai, addressing the parents this time. "Thank you."

The human mother smiled in sad sympathy at the adult half-breed. The demon father bowed politely, and the two groups separated, walking towards opposite sides of the square.

As the friends walked into the inn, Hakkai reached down and entwined his fingers with Gojyo's. "You know, you're a Luck Child too."

Gojyo snorted. "Yeah, right."

"You are!" Hakkai replied, pulling his lover by his vest into his single, closing the door with a foot and pushing the redhead up against the wall. "You're alive. You have a half-brother who loves you. A little brother who adores you. A lover who would die for you. And a pain in your ass who won't admit his fondness for you."

"Aw, I always knew you loved me, my pain in the ass," Gojyo teased, wrapping his arms around Hakkai's waist.

Hakkai growled and pulled Gojyo down for a kiss.  
---


	11. Distraction

Title: Distraction  
Date Written: 7/30/05  
Non Challenge  
Word Count: 397  
Warnings: Incest.  
Rating: M  
Notes: The original version of the drabble in _Even More Saiyuki Drabbles_ of the same name.  
---  
Her mouth's on mine again, hot, hungry, demanding. My mind cries out for me to turn away, to leave, to stop this madness; but my soul cries that I have to continue. For if I do stop, if she isn't distracted, all will result in disaster. 

And there's been enough of that here. I can't take any more.

We tumble onto the bed, hands pulling at clothes, tears running down both our faces. I don't know what she's crying for, but I'm crying because I don't know of any other way to keep her from doing the one thing I dread, but I wish that it wasn't this.

She's loud when I take her, she always is, panting and moaning while I remain silent, the logical part of my mind curling up in the back of my psyche to cry and lament while lust takes over my actions.

I think the part I hate the most is the fact that I enjoy it.

Afterwards, when she's finally worn out and asleep, I rush to the shower, scrubbing my skin raw, hating myself. I stay there until I'm absolutely sure the scent of sex is off my skin, and then I go check to on _him_, the one person I'm doing this all for. He's sitting on his bed smoking, and I can tell from the look on his face that he heard us again.

GODS! I wish I was dead. I torture him more than I torture myself with my actions.

He doesn't speak but holds his cigarette up in a silent offer. I accept it, taking a deep drag, the half-smoked cigarette nearly at the filter when I give it back to him. He looks up at me, those damning, beautiful crimson eyes boring a hole into my soul. Instead of talking I reach into my pocket for my pack, pulling out two and lighting them before sitting next to my half-brother, putting an arm around him and holding him close.

Our smoke snakes towards the ceiling, intermingling until the room is hazy from the remains of cigarette after cigarette. In that haze we hide in silence, taking comfort from being close to one another and not having to acknowledge the fact that both of us were sacrificing a little bit of our souls to keep from having to kill our mother.  
---  
Yes, this is the Sha family. Java brought it to my attention that the reason why Gojyo was so accepting of Kanan and Gonou was because his brother was sleeping with his mother, and pointed out in volume seven that the sounds Gojyo heard from his mother's room were Jien and his stepmother.  
---


	12. Rainy Nights

Title: Rainy Nights  
Date Written: 7/31/05  
Non Challenge  
Word Count: 388  
Rating: G  
Notes: I'm really in the mood for some fluff. I'll probably tun out some smut later.  
---  
It had been raining again that evening, so Goku was worried about Sanzo. The earth spirit paced outside the rice paper door to the high priest's room, his bare feet padding quietly over the wooden planks. His master's room was quiet, the lights out and no movement on the other side of the sliding door. That wasn't unusual on nights like these, however; Sanzo usually sat up all night, smoking and staring at the rain. 

Goku hated it when Sanzo got depressed. He'd rather have the blonde smacking him around or cursing him than that hateful silence.

The brunette carefully slid the door open a little, making sure to lift the door up to keep the bamboo from scrapping across the wooden floor. No cigarette smoke curled out from the opening, and that set Goku on edge. He opened the door and slipped inside the room, closing it as silently as he opened it.

The window was wide open, rainwashed air flooding the room. Sanzo was on his bed, leaning back against the headboard, fast asleep; the rain had stopped about an hour before, the sky clearing to illuminate the priest in silvery-blue moonlight. One black-gloved hand was hanging out the window, where Sanzo had fallen asleep smoking. Goku assumed that the cigarette had fallen out onto the muddy ground underneath the window, since the temple was not currently ablaze.

Goku carefully crossed the room, his eyes on Sanzo. His sun currently looked like one of those gods the monks went on and on about--beautiful, serene. He lowered himself onto the bed, the slight movement of the mattress making Sanzo stir slightly in his sleep.

The demon raised a callused hand to Sanzo's cheek, tracing the sliver of moonlight on the convex point on his face. The blonde leaned into the touch in his sleep and Goku smiled to himself.

He let his hand drop, leaning down to put his head in Sanzo's lap, his eyes upturned to look at the silvery full moon. The rain-cooled breeze and spell of the moon made the demon drowsy, his golden eyes drooping shut in sleep.

When Sanzo awoke the next morning, he allowed himself a smile. With Goku there protecting him, the nightmares of the past had never come to him in the night.  
---


	13. Candlelight

Title: Candlelight  
Date Written: 8/1/05  
Non Challenge  
Word Count: 739  
Warnings: Homosexuality (is that really a warning in this fandom?)  
Rating: R  
Pairing: Hakkai/Gojyo  
Notes: Can be seen either pre or post trip. Established relationship.  
---  
Hakkai came home from class late, as always. Long after the class had left Hakkai normally stayed in the room, doing paperwork, grading papers, and getting his room ready for the next day. So by the time he made it home, the sun was far below the horizon, the sky greens and blues as the light rays bent around the circular planet. 

When he went for the lights as he opened the door... they didn't turn on. Hakkai furrowed his eyebrows, flicking the switch up and down a few times.

A faint 'flick' was heard, and a small patch of light illuminated Gojyo's face, a grin on his face. "Power's out, genius," he teased, lighting a candle that was sitting on the table.

Hakkai dropped his briefcase, toed off his shoes and undid his tie as he flipped off his housemate. Gojyo, in turn, laughed.

The brunette collapsed into a chair at the table, watching the redhead lighting another of their emergency candles with his lighter. Hakkai sat, emerald eyes captured by the steady drop of light, watching it pulse gently. It was mesmerizing, watching the flame sway gently to and fro, the demon allowing his mind to slowly become blank.

Two strong hands splayed on his back, fingertips digging into the tight muscle. "Rough day?"

Hakkai tipped his head back, leaning into the touch. "Oh, the absolute worst. Let's see, first the principal came unannounced in at nine this morning to observe."

"I'm sure you did fine," Gojyo reassured, feeling the muscles slowly relax under his fingertips.

"Yeah, me too, until the kid threw up ten minutes after nine," Hakkai replied bitterly.

Gojyo laughed, then dropped a kiss to the top of Hakkai's head. "I'm sorry."

"Well, that wasn't the worst of it. We also had a fight on the playground at recess, one of my students broke another boy's nose, so I had to set up a conference with his parents."

Pale lips moved down to kiss a power limiter, as talented fingers slid down his spine. "I'm sorry."

"Eh. I also had two parents accost me outside school, one of them calling me a demon in insult."

Gojyo's hands stopped their massage, and he raised them to gently place them on Hakkai's shoulders. "I'm very sorry," he said sincerely, remembering how as a child he was thrown similar insults by pureblood humans.

Hakkai smiled slightly, taking one of Gojyo's hands into his and kissing it. "I know what I am, 'Jyo. A demon, yes, but more 'human' than some humans."

Gojyo grinned back and leaned down to brush a kiss across Hakkai's soft lips. "Come on, I've got just the thing to take your mind off today..."

Hakkai followed Gojyo, a little confused, into the bedroom, where Gojyo had apparently cleaned out the rest of the candle supply, using the twenty-odd candles they possessed to cover the bedroom in soft candlelight. Hakkai chuckled a little as Gojyo's lips swept over the base of his neck. "You put a lot of thought into this."

"You like it," Gojyo replied, spinning Hakkai around and pinning him to the door. "And I like indulging you."

Lips met and mouths parted, devouring one another. Hands slid over skin, undressing, brushing, caressing, drawing moans from the other's throat. The two tumbled naked onto the bed, slowly making love as the candles burned down to puddles of wax before finally gutting out.

Afterwards, covered in sweat and cuddled close to one another, the two of them laid under the covers in silence, watching the last candle flicker, a centimeter of wick keeping it lit. Hakkai leaned down to kiss Gojyo's chest, and the candlelight reflecting off something caught his eyes. He reached over and snagged the object, holding it up so Gojyo could see it.

Gojyo grinned, teeth flashing white in the faint light. He took the light bulb from Hakkai. "Hey, come on, you enjoyed yourself."

Hakkai kissed Gojyo's shoulder before lying his head down on it. "Yes, you tricky kappa."

Gojyo laughed heartily and wrapped his arms around Hakkai's waist, pulling him close. "We should do this more often," he murmured, leaning in close.

"I'll get more candles tomorrow after work... Oh, shit, we left candles lit in the next room!" Hakkai started, springing from bed and rushing into the next room.

Gojyo laughed again, rolling over and blowing out the last candle.  
---


	14. Not a Game

Title: Not a Game  
Weekly Challenge #2: Meanwhile...  
Word Count: 347  
Date Written: 8/9/05  
Rating: PG-13, because the Merciful Goddess is always wearing a see-through top  
Notes: The first thing that came to mind when I thought about the challenge.  
---  
"I hate this!" Jiroshin exclaimed, banging his fist down onto the arms of his chair. 

Across from him, on the othe side of the checkered board, the Merciful Goddess smiled mischievously. "Why, Jiroshin, it's just a game."

"It is not, and you know it!" he replied, banging his fists again. "We're meddling with LIVES, damn it."

"They're just mortals. In a hundred years, it won't matter," the she-male replied, tossing her mane of hair over her shoulder. Her bracelets and earrings jangled noisily as she propped her chin in her hand, one elbow on the arm of her own chair.

"Then why don't we just wipe all mortals off the face of the planet now? Or why did we even create mortals in the first place?" the god demanded. "They suffer so much for our own sick amusement, they die, they're reborn. It's disgusting."

"Jiroshin," the goddess sighed, crossing one leg at the knee. "I believe I've told you this before."

Jiroshin huffed. " 'The gods are not here to jugde.'," he immitated cheekily in a falsetto voice. "No, we just dole out punishment and pain."

The Merciful Goddess allowed herself to smirk behind her hand. "Do you not know ANYTHING about the Buddhist faith?" she teased, dropping her hand into her lap as she got a puzzled look from her subordinate. "The fundamental teaching of the Buddha is that life **is** pain. Life is change, change is pain."

"So why do they live?"

"Because they were given life," Kannon replied. "We immortals should know better than anyone that life and death is a gift. We just simply... exist. All they can do is life the life they were given."

Jiroshin allowed a small smile, leaning over the table to move one of his small, lightweight wooden pieces across the board.

"Check."

The Merciful Goddess frowned, looking over the chess board. "Hey, wait a minute..."

"Aw, don't worry, Kannon, you can always try again next round," Jiroshin replied, smirking.

The goddess flipped her subordinate off, not bothering to look up from the board.  
---


	15. Rainstorm

Title: Rainstorm  
Date Written: 8/15/05  
Word Count: 750  
Non Challenge  
Rating: PG  
Notes: Pre-trip.  
---  
It was raining. Hard, too hard for Gojyo and Hakkai to make it back to their house for the night. Which was both a plus and a minus in Gojyo's book: Hakkai and Sanzo could lock themselves up in Sanzo's office and drink or whatever the hell they did on rainy nights. 

The downside was that the brunette didn't seek him out. _Ah, well, win some, lose some._

Goku had disappeared right after dinner, which struck Gojyo as odd. Usually the youth would be constantly underfoot, never out of arm's reach of the worldly priest. So when the two 'adults' went off with a jug of sake to drown their sorrows in, the half breed went looking for the young demon.

He found the boy sitting on the temple steps, watching the storm. He was slightly damp from raindrops blown astray by the wind, and was hugging his knees to his chest. Gojyo snagged a towel off the top of a pile a passing apprentice was carrying, who gave him a dirty look before continuing down his hall.

Goku blinked as the dark world was blocked by rough white linen. He could feel Gojyo sititng behind him, the boy between his knees. "Whatcha doing?"

"If you get a cold, Sanzo and Hakkai'll kill me," Gojyo replied, scrubbing the brunette's hair dry. The boy silently protested at the rough touch, squirming underneath the half breed's tan hands, but otherwise allowed the kappa to dry him off.

Once the boy was reasonably dry, Gojyo brushed his fingers through the boy's long hair, concentrating on getting the tangles out while golden eyes watched the falling rain. He didn't flinch as lightening flashed across the sky, the angry fingers raking across the sky and turning the black clouds shades of purple and blue, sometimes starkly outlining a glob of black cotton; nor did he react when thunder washed across the land, shaking every pore of his body.

"Why do Sanzo and Hakkai hate th' rain?"

Gojyo gathered the brunette locks into one hand, dragging his tobacco-stained fingers through the makeshift pony tail. "Because it reminds them of bad things," he replied, carefully separating his hair into three even parts. He crisscrossed the sections loosely, the youth's hair forming into a long braid.

"Why?"

"Because bad things happened to them when it was raining."

"It used to rain on Mt. Gogyo," Goku replied after a pause. "I liked when it would rain."

"Oh?" Gojyo raised his eyebrows as he tied off the end of the braid.

Goku looked up at him over his shoulder, those big golden eyes reflecting a bolt of lighting. "Every thing was greener afterwards, when the sun would come out, and it smelled really nice."

Gojyo smiled back at him, wrapping the boy in the towel to protect him from more errant raindrops.

"Are you scared of the rain, Gojyo?"

"Nope."

"Are you scared of anything?"

_Lots of things_, his mind told the boy. Outwardly, however, he laughed and gave the boy a small shove. "Are you kidding? Like anything could scare me!" he boasted, tugging lightly on the boy's braid.

Goku frowned and landed a light punch on Gojyo's upper arm. "You stupid kappa, I bet you're afraid of lots of things!"

"Well, at least I'm not afraid of SNOW, stupid baby monkey."

The two began a friendly scuffle, reminding Gojyo of the way he and Jien used to act a lifetime ago. Blows were exchanged, insults were traded, hair was pulled and bites marred skin. However, Goku seemed interested more in the storm than fighting with the half breed, and the two ended up back on the stairs, panting slightly and watching the clouds pass over the sky.

Goku leaned back against Gojyo's chest, the two indulging in the rare moment of quiet and companionship. Gojyo wrapped his arms protectively around the boy, propping his chin on the head in front of him. The gold of the diadem flashed brilliantly under the white electric spark that flashed across the sky, and Gojyo smiled to himself when he noticed that golden eyes were closed. The boy's head was cradled in the crook of Gojyo's elbow, his slow steady breathing faintly tickling the hairs on his forearm.

Crimson eyes slid shut underneath tan eyelids as a scarred face turned back up towards the rainy sky, smiling at the small droplets that fell on his skin.

Just because Hakkai didn't like rainy day memories didn't mean he couldn't enjoy his.  
---


	16. Edited Version

Title: Edited Version  
Date Written: 8/31/05  
Word Count: 518  
Rating: T  
Notes: Written for Challenge #3, the Hays Code (code of ethics for filmmakers in the '30s) . Partially based on real events... Snicker. Based off the first and second anime episodes, the English dub.  
---  
In an undisclosed location somewhere in America, a young woman stared at her television screen in shock. One hand was raised, clutching a DVD player remote, her eyes as big as tea saucers. 

She blinked twice. Surely, this was a joke. Hesitantly, she pushed play.

Genjo Sanzo and Son Goku traipsed along on screen.

"Hey, Sanzo! Sanzosanzosanzosanzosanzo!"

"Please be quiet," the animated Buddhist priest replied.

The fangirl gaped as the intro music played, displaying the episode title. "Someone screwed with my Sanzo!"

The episode cut to a not-bar--for all the liquor bottle labels now had the label 'soda'. Gojyo and a nameless opponent were playing cards, a... "Is that a freakin' lollipop!" the woman declared, outraged. The on screen bar women had poorly airbrushed additions to their clothing, concealing their upper thighs and ample cleavage behind flat off-color spots. When the fight scene came, instead of seeing the demon transform, terrorize the women and get killed by Gojyo, a full screen still shot of a beautiful sunrise appeared, along with the caption, "Have you thanked God today for today?"

The young woman let out a yelp, jumping to her feet and almost missed the best part; Gojyo's voice calmly telling him to leave, go home, and get some sleep.

The fact that Hakkai's entire introduction scene was uncut escaped her attention as she fumed over the bastardization of her beloved Gojyo.

Out of morbid curiosity, she watched the entire episode. All the characters, save Hakkai, were vastly different: Sanzo was soft spoken, polite, reverent and gun-less; Gojyo sucked on a lollipop and had next to no lines, although his mouth was moving; and Goku didn't complain about hunger. The four men talked it over (behind a still shot of a fluffy kitten) instead of kicking ass. Hakuryuu was nowhere to be found.

The ending credits had no background, just a black screen. There was no sexy Minekura art, no episode preview, and--the worst part--the song had be rerecorded into English.

The fangirl found the DVD to be something akin to a train wreck--horrible, but fascinating--as the DVD ran into the introduction of the second episode. Gojyo and Goku had a polite conversation over a coke ("Would you like one?" "No thank you." "Are you sure?" "Yes sir, thank you for asking.") while on screen the two were obviously arguing, and Sanzo said some random Christian line ("God gave us faith, hope and love, the strongest of which is love").

That was the breaking point. The woman ran over and literally ripped the DVD player from the television. "I'm in _The Twilight Zone_," she muttered. "That, or _Candid Camera_."

She began searching vainly for hidden cameras.  
---  
In Heaven, long red-painted fingernails clacked on the plastic cover of a pair of binoculars. Ruby red lips curved into a wicked grin. The Merciful Goddess let out a long, loud laugh at the poor mortal below.

Jiroshin sighed. "My lady, why do you torture the mortals so?"

"It just gets boring waiting for Konzen and Tenpou and Kenren to be reborn!" Kanzeon griped.

Jiroshin just shook his head.  
---


	17. Second Chance

Title: Second Chance  
Date Written: 9/1/05  
Word Count: 560  
Rating: K+  
Notes: There's a drabble over in my third drabble collection that is based off this. Post trip.  
---  
Sha Dokugakuji ran a hand through the sweaty tangle of brown hair on his wife's head. The labor had been hard on her--long and painful--but in the end, when he had been allowed back into the room, she had greeted him with their firstborn son in her arms and a tired smile on her lips. 

Yaone rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. The birth had been hard for her--the frustrating kind of hard. A long waiting game, in which she could only sit and watch and hold Doku's wife's hand through her contractions, feeding her ice chips in between, and finally trying to instruct the woman in the art of childbirth, something the brunette had no experience with. But women long before them had managed, and with the apothecary's help, they had managed to bring another new life into the world.

"He looks like you," she said softly, both the mother and child sleeping from the strain of the birth.

Dokugakuji lifted his son from his mother's arms, smiling down at him. "Thank you for coming all this way to help," he said, not taking his eyes off the tiny babe in his arms.

"Of course we would," Kougaiji said in a low voice from the doorway, coming over to peer down at his friend's son. Yaone went to the ex-swordsman's other side, the three looking down at the little boy.

"What name did the two of you pick out?" Yaone asked as the child stirred.

Crimson eyes opened, looking up at the three adults wide-eyed. Dokugakuji ran his calloused hand over soft, very fine vivid red hair. "Gojyo."

Kougaiji looked at Doku out of the corner of his eyes. "I think he'd like that." Yaone nodded on Doku's other side.

"Nah, he'd be pissed," the demon replied, chuckling. "He's probably spinning in his grave right now."

The other two demons fell silent. Dokugakuji's younger brother had died in an accident a few years previous, right after the swordsman had married his human wife. The two brothers had an argument over the marriage, Gojyo concerned with the label 'outcast' that would be stamped on the couple--and any of their children--as soon as they started living together. The half breed didn't want any of his nieces or nephews going through what he had, and Dokugakuji pointed out that he and his new wife would be living in a mixed village and that (thanks in large part to Gojyo himself) being a half breed was no longer considered 'taboo'.

Yaone suddenly broke into giggles. "No, he's staring up at us going, Damn it, woman, give me a bottle of beer." She grinned wide when everyone stared at her. "What? He was a part of the **Sanzo** party--I think that's automatic qualification for rebirth."

The two men chuckled along with the apothecary.

"He's gonna be hell when he gets older," Kougaiji warned.

"I'll just send him to stay with his dear ol' Uncle Kou," Doku shot back, and Kougaiji groaned.

In his arms, the little baby fussed, squirming a little in a state of half sleep. Dokugakuji looked down at his son and was reminded of his brother. _Gojyo... If Yaone's right, I'm glad. I plan to make up for everything I did wrong last time. I won't fail you again_.  
---


	18. Spar

Title: Spar  
Date Written: 9/1/05  
Word Count: 433  
Rating: T  
Notes: For imparfait, because I love her.  
---  
Kougaiji found his little sister and two friends--the three people he trusted most in the entire world--outside. Lirin was sitting on a bench, watching Dokugakuji and Yaone prepare for a sparring match, laying out weapons and the like. The prince quietly sat next to his sister, who gave him a_ this is gonna be good_ smile. He winked at her in return and focused his attention on the two warriors. 

Yaone was dressed considerably more conservatively than her fighting garb, in the long sleeved shirt and pants she wore when working with potions. Doku had taken off his coat, revealing sun-bronzed skin, lighter yet similar to his younger half-brother's.

Both joked that their clothing (or lack thereof) distracted their opponents. Kou took great joy in point out that their most common two opponents had their eyes on one another more often than on his two friends. And that his two friends had their eyes on one another more often than the quiet healer and the loudmouthed gambler. One night, after a little too much to drink, the prince speculated that because the apothecary and swordsman were so distracted by one another, it must have some relation to their spectacular losing streak. That comment had resulted in Yaone leaving her lord to deal with his hangover on his own.

(Doku, however, had found it funny, although he did tell Kou to stop watching them in battle when he should be focused on the monkey)

His two best friends had been lovers for quite some time, and he was happy for them. He hoped to have the love and trust the two shared one day with someone. They were confident enough to swing blades at one another.

And there they were, Yaone with her spear, Dokugakuji with his sword, grinning like fools at each other.

The two flew at one another, blades swinging. Doku's blows were blocked expertly by Yaone, the apothecary backing from the swordman's advance. Yaone's grin fell off her face as she tripped, falling as if in slow motion. She fell hard on her rear, wincing and bringing a hand around to rub at the sore spot. Dokugakuji lowered his blade, moving to help her up.

There was a woosh, and Yaone's staff caught her lover at the knees, knocking him down and making his sword go flying. In the blink of an eye, Yaone had a blade hidden in her boot at his throat.

"I thought you were hurt," Doku half-whined, half-explained.

Yaone smirked. "You think too much."

On the sidelines, Lirin and Kougaiji snickered.  
---


	19. Closeness to the Gods

Title: Closeness to the Gods  
Date Written: 9/4/05  
Word Count: 841  
Rating: K+  
Spoilers: Sanzo's past  
Warnings: Got a little bit of blood, but not a lot.  
Notes: Inspired by a National Geographic documentary. Dialog in the beginning from vol. 5 of the anime (English dub)  
---  
_"I just can't, Master. I am grateful you think so highly of me, but I'm just not worthy to be a Sanzo priest."_

_"Koryuu, we have no set criteria to select a Sanzo. Watching you these 13 years, I have come to believe that he position of Sanzo priest would best be served by your strong body and even stronger heart. Just continue being strong in both body and soul, priest Genjyo Sanzo."_

The young blonde boy simply stared at his elder, not daring to rise from his kneeling position on the floor.

"Now, come here, child, and lay down on the floor," Koumyou ordered, motioning for the youngster to lay on a sleeping mat he had unrolled in the center of the room. He did so without questioning, but his eyes said the questions louder than anything his voice could ask.

Koumyou regarded the boy with a stoic face. "Genjyo--"

The violet-eyed youth flinched at the name. A small smile touched the priest's lips. "Fine, I'll continue to call you Koryuu."

The child was still quiet, although his eyes were torn between thankfulness and reproach. Koumyou turned his back to the boy, hiding his chuckle. "Now, Koryuu, what do you know about the chakra Sanzos wear?"

"That it denotes your closeness to the gods, to the Buddha," the newly christened Sanzo replied instantly, having heard the lecture time and again.

"And what have you heard about how I came to posses this one?" the elder priest asked calmly, walking over to one of his cabinets and rummaging around in it. Behind his back, Koryuu gave him a questioning look, blonde eyebrows furrowed in curiosity.

"I've heard some of the younger priests say that the gods gave it to you," he replied.

Koumyou's laugh bounced off rice paper sliding doors. "No, no. My chakra was given to me by human hands." When he turned back, he was holding two small bowls and two long sticks. The moonlight faintly glimmered off one end of one, revealing a small needle buried deep in the end.

"A tattoo," Koryuu replied, realization dawning on him. The long-haired priest nodded, kneeling by his charge.

"Made with henna, a plant from India. This one is mixed with red wine dregs to give it a crimson hue," the priest replied, setting the ceramic bowls and sticks down next to Koryuu's head. Long tobacco-stained fingers brushed golden strands away from a pale forehead, and their eyes locked. "Koryuu, this is going to hurt. If you don't want one, it's fine."

Koryuu got quiet, remembering Ukoku Sanzo, and simply nodded.

A chakra was the symbol of a Sanzo. If he didn't have one, he wouldn't be taken seriously. If his... father took him seriously enough to make him one, he wanted to take the title seriously.

Koumyou smiled, brushing the hair back more. Gently, he dipped the needle into one of the bowls that contained a greenish-red mixture--the henna--and put the needle against his skin. Koryuu could feel the point digging through a few layers of skin, and the cool wetness of the henna.

Koumyou raised the other stick and tapped the pointed stick lightly. The blonde winced as he felt the point dig in, and he felt a warm trickle of blood run down his face. The elder priest brushed the back of his hand on the corner of his ward's eyes, wiping away the forming wetness in the amethyst eyes. "We can stop now if you want."

Koryuu simply shook his head.

Time stretched to infinity as the gentle 'tic tic tic' of wood on wood filled the quiet room, the mantra stopping momentarily every time Koumyou added more henna to the tip of the needle, or pausing to wipe away the blood trickling from his wound. He had no idea how long it took to receive his chakra, but he refused to cry from the sharp pain fo the needle digging into his forehead, biting his lip, shutting his eyes tight and clenching and unclenching his hands in an effort to work out some of the pain. All the while, he heard his master's words in his head, in an endless loop, _Be strong, Genjyo Sanzo... be strong..._

The pain dulled into a throb when his master--no, his equal--gently wiped at the wound, placing something on it that was cool and smelled like roses. He bound a pristine white bandage around Koryuu's forehead, smiling as he finished the binding.

"I'm going to give you the Maten scripture to keep right now," Koumyou replied, taking the roll of parchment and handing it to the blonde. "When I die, you shall inherit the Seiten scripture as well."

Kouryuu felt his throat tighten as his master spoke so casually about his demise. "Master..."

Long fingers ran through golden locks. "We all die, Koryuu, it's nature. We're born, we die. Between then, we live."

A soft kiss was placed against the fresh bound chakra. "So live, Genjyo Sanzo"  
---


	20. Penitence

Title: Penitence  
Date Written: 9/6/05  
Word Count: 512  
Rating: T  
Spoilers: Gonou/Hakkai story, Sanzo-ikkou meeting  
Notes: Quote at the beginning taken from the anime (vol. 4, episode 14), English dub.  
---  
_"Perhaps this is my act of penitence."_

I barely knew him, really, that Cho Gonou guy. I mean, I kept him for about a month, but all I ever really knew of him is that he lost a lover--and a sister.

All we ever did was eat, sleep, and play cards.

I never asked about his past... I think I already knew the answer. I sure as Hell wasn't surprised when I found out what he had done.

So why do I feel so bad, now that he's dead?

My bed... feels empty. Even when I'm in it, it feels enormous. I slept on the floor that whole month--I sure as _HELL_ didn't sleep with no guy--but...

I miss him.

I _miss him?_

Yeah, I guess that's the only way I can describe it. Now, whenever I look in the mirror, besides seeing my mother's--_stepmother's_, damn it, she was no _MOTHER_--blood, I see his, too; spilling to the muddy ground, intermingling with rainwater, soaking into pristine white bandages...

The thick curtain of crimson taunts me. I can't save anyone.

I can't even save myself.

It hides things; my scars, my broken spirit, my disgust for life.

Maybe that's why I miss him--Gonou, that is. He made me want to live.

The alcohol's clear in the small white cup the pretty waitress--who, for once, I have no interest in fucking--gave me. It's strong, too, but I still crave something stronger...

_I can still see those damn emerald eyes._

On the other side of the window pane, everyone's busy going about their business, shopping, talking, living.

_It's disgusting._

Outside my window, two girls are talking loudly. I can hear their voices through the glass. They're talking about what one of their friends did to her hair--gossiping.

"So she cut all of that long, gorgeous hair off because that jackass dumped her?"

"Yeah. She said she's finally over him and she just wants a fresh start."

I snort into my cup. No one ever gets a 'fresh start'. We always carry around the ghosts of our old sins.

There is no penance for our souls strong enough to stop the old wounds from oozing.

But when I make it back home, and I take one look in the bathroom mirror, I can't help myself. His guilt--and mine--is like a bright fucking flag.

_The hair has got to go._

With each snip, a lock of crimson falls.

_A drop of blood trickles off the talented fingers that could best me at my own game._

Finally, it's all in the sink, and my reflection smiles at me as we share a cigarette. When the ember's down to the butt, I toss it into the sink, watching the hair react to the heat. The strands shrivel, catch on fire, and turn into piles of ash.

_Bloody hands are washed clean in cold rainwater._

When nothing's left but the foul-smelling remains, I turn the faucet on, watching the grit sin wash down the drain, never to resurface.

_A body is laid to rest; a soul is at peace._

Perhaps we can't do penance for ourselves. But maybe, others can do it for us.  
---


	21. Intolerance

Title: Intolerance  
Date Written: 9/7/05  
Word Count: 621  
Rating: T  
Warnings: Potentially offensive view of religion. Read with caution.  
---  
There were days when the road seemed to stretch into infinity, never-ending, no matter how fast Hakkai drove. The scenery was the same, day in and day out: sand, from horizon to horizon. 

So when they did manage to stumble upon a town, it was always a beautiful sight to behold, no matter how run-down or dirt poor it turned out to be. If it had beds, fresh food, and spare water, it was Heaven.

The sun was close to the western horizon when they pulled into the town. The sky was beginning to turn fabulous colors above them, the clouds taking on orange and pink hues.

The townspeople were all gathered in the town's square, but they weren't watching the beautiful scene before them--they were crowding around a handsome young man, not much older than Sanzo, who was standing on a bench and waving a black leather-bound book around. Hakkai stopped the Jeep, the four of them listening to the strong voice.

"...And I submit to you, my brothers and sisters, that we are the Chosen Ones!" he cried, pausing at the crowd's cheer. When it subsided enough, the clergyman continued his sermon.

"And as the Chosen, we have a duty--yes, I said a duty!--to do certain things for Him!"

Hakkai leaned over the steering wheel: This was starting to sound a little too familiar for his taste. Gojyo and Goku had stopped their fight, watching the black-clad man with intent gazes. Only Sanzo wasn't looking at him, his violet gaze hidden under pale eyelids as he puffed on a cigarette.

"We must be God's hands and do His work and wipe the demon race from the face of the Earth!"

Sanzo cracked an eye open to see the shocked look on Goku's face. The other two travelers looked almost sad: They, Gojyo especially, were well aware of bigotry and hatred spread under the guise of religion.

"The demons are the source of all our suffering, the servants of Satan walking among us! As servants of the Lord God, we should take joy in such a task--we shall bathe in their blood as we praise God!"

The cheer from the crowd was deafening. Sanzo just barely heard Hakkai mutter, "Just wait until they become what they hate most."

"And we're the demons," Gojyo agreed, lighting a cigarette behind Sanzo.

Goku was very--almost dangerously--quiet. Sanzo saw confusion and anger warring in the wide golden pools, and the blonde turned to face his young charge.

"It's not worth anger, Goku," he told the boy calmly, tangling a reassuring hand into chocolate brown locks. What the earth spirit needed now was physical contact to placate him. "Nothing we can say or do will ever change their minds. Simply pity their ignorance."

During this exchange, Sanzo and Goku missed the look that passed between Hakkai and Gojyo. The two old friends grinned wickedly at one another.

The half-breed stood up on his seat. Hakkai hit the gas, causing Hakuryuu's engine to roar.

"Hey, dip-shit assholes!"

The crowd turned to stare at the jeepful of demons. They immediately recognized Gojyo's bright red hair and began hurling insults, a few stooping to pick up rocks.

"Please hold on," Hakkai told Sanzo and Goku polite, a hand on the gear shift.

"See ya in Hell, losers!" Gojyo crowed at the mob, raising both middle fingers.

Hakkai quickly shifted gears, his foot pressing the gas all the way to the floorboard. The jeep spun out, rear tires flinging gravel and dust as they sped out of town.

"That was stupid and pointless," Sanzo informed Gojyo.

The redhead shrugged as he sat back down. "It was sure as Hell satisfying, though."

Sanzo, for once, was in agreement with the kappa.  
---


	22. It's A Good Thing

Title: It's A Good Thing  
Challenge 4: Collaboration  
Authors: Stage (only a dream) and Gracie Musica  
Word Count: 814   
Disclaimer: Saiyuki is not ours, we're just playing.  
Rating: T  
Warnings: Shonen-ai  
Characters/Pairings: Gojyo/Hakkai, Sanzo, Goku  
Stage's notes: Blame Betty Crocker's cake mix.  
Gracie's notes: I blame her. She gave the visual of Hakkai with flour on his cheek.  
---  
Gojyo leaned against the kitchen counter, watching Hakkai mixing the ingredients for a cake with his bare hands. When the redhead had pointed out that they had utensils, Hakaki had just looked at him and told him "My way is more fun." Gojyo had to admit he was right; the sticky batter was clinging to the brunnette's skin in the most enticing manner. And the smudge of flour across the pale cheekbone was just begging to be licked away. 

"Gojyo, are you sure that you don't want to help?" Hakkai inquired, raising an eyebrow at his roommate.

Gojyo grinned. _Not the way you _want_ me to._

"Gojyo?"

"Er, nah, 'Kai." Gojyo replied. "But you've got something…" He motioned at his own cheek.

Hakkai wiped at it with the back of his hand, smearing chocolate batter over the flour. He looked expectantly at Gojyo, who was trying to keep his mouth closed.

Holy fuck, did that color look delicious on Hakkai.

"Gojyo?"

His name snapped him out of his reverie, his mouth twisting into what he knew was his trademark pervy smirk. "Nah, it's still there." Hakkai raised his hand again to rub his cheek, but Gojyo grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "It's right..."

He reached up with the other hand, cupping the brunette's face and pulling it closer. He leaned in, swiping his tongue across the stripe of brown. He could taste the chocolate and the flour, making him wish for something to drink, but he could also, very faintly, taste the undercurrent of the green-eyed demon's skin.

He pulled back, snickering inwardly at the bug-eyed look he was getting from Hakkai, rubbing away his saliva with his thumb, letting his hand fall back to his side. "...There," He he finished, grinning into the emerald eyes, not breaking eye contact as he ran his fingers through the goop in the bowl.

"I love chocolate," he explained, sucking his fingertips into his mouth.

"Gojyo…"

Gojyo leaned back, elbow on the counter and smirking, mighty pleased with himself. "Yeah?"

_Splat!_

Hakkai grinned cheerfully. "Enjoy!"

Slowly, Gojyo wiped the batter away from his eyes and glared at his friend. "You didn't just…"

"Oh, I believe I did, Gojyo."

Gojyo stared at Hakkai as he continued to blend like he hadn't just pelted Gojyo with a handful of chocolate cake mix. His eyes narrowed. Oh, Hakkai was gonna pay for this one…

"Hand me that-oof!"

The three of them-Hakkai, Gojyo, and the bowl of batter-tumbled to the floor.

Hakkai had only a moment to laugh when the bowl capsized on Gojyo's head before his mouth was occupied.

The first thing that registered in the demon's brain was the sensory overload of chocolate exploding on his tastebuds.

The second was that behind the chocolate something else was slickly sliding inside his mouth, spreading the batter around inside the orifice. Green eyes widened in shock, staring at the crimson and dark brown before them.

He was being kissed by Sha Gojyo. And Holy Mother of _God_, he was doing it well.

A cold puddle of cake mix fell onto his shoulder, and Gojyo--regrettably--pulled away from his lips, mouth drifting down his neck to lick it up, leaving his skin sticky, his hot tongue contrasting the cool milk in the batter.

Hakkai shuddered and growled, flipping Gojyo on his back with ease, as if he were nothing more than a tiddlywink. His fingers (still coated in sticky batter) smeared through Gojyo's hair and scraped up his back. The frosty feeling of the floor seeped through Gojyo's thin wife beater and he was suddenly aware of where he was: sprawled out underneath his best friend, covered in chocolate, and very close to something carnal on the kitchenette floor.

"Er, ah, Hakkai?"

"Mm?"

"Are we, uh, doing this here?"

Hakkai licked his collarbone. "Easier to clean up."

"Oh…" Gojyo trailed off, still trying to be unsure, but _damn_, was it difficult when Hakkai was doing _that_. "Ah…"

Hakkai paused, smirking down at Gojyo. "Why, Mr. Sha," He purred. "Haven't you done the dirty outside of the bedroom?"

Gojyo felt sweat trickle down the back of his neck.

"Ah, no worries," Hakkai replied, brightly. "I have enough experience for both of us."

Gojyo was a bit afraid when Hakkai smiled like that, but there was no room to protest as long fingers snuck past the clasps on his pants…

Hakkai was right. His way sure as hell was fun.  
---  
Later that day, Sanzo and Goku showed up, unannounced, while Gojyo was in the shower. Hakkai had smiled, inviting them in for tea and hoping Sanzo didn't notice the frosting that had dried in his hair.

Frankly, Sanzo didn't want to know about the brown flakes in Hakkai's hair or why he had turned scarlet when Goku had sniffed and declared, "I smell cake"  
---


	23. Water Wars

Title: Water Wars  
Date Written: 10/19/05  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 330  
Characters/Pairings: Gojyo/Hakkai (established relationship)  
Warnings: None  
Spoilers: None  
Disclaimer: Saiyuki is not mine, but Minekura's, the almighty illustrator of gorgeous sexy men.  
Notes: Down here in Louisiana, we're busy putting blue roofs on houses, and this was inspired by that.  
---  
Sha Gojyo wiped his forehead, fanning himself with a spare roof shingle. It was ungodly hot today, but thankfully sunny. He and Hakkai had discovered a roof leak during the deluge that had spanned the whole previous week, and it needed to be patched before the boards rotted and the roof caved in. 

A buzzer went off inside the house, and Gojyo climbed off the roof and down the ladder, his shift over. Hakkai met him with a glass of water, which he drank down eagerly. "Thank you," he gasped as the last of the cold liquid slid down his throat, the ice tinkling in the glass.

"Go cool down before you get heat stroke," Hakkai advised.

"A cold shower sounds great right about now," Gojyo replied, peeling off his sweat-soaked wifebeater and wiping at his neck with it. He turned, heading towards the bathroom when something cold hit his back, making him jump and whirl around.

Hakkai stood at the sink, smirking and holding the dripping extension hose.

Gojyo's jaw dropped. "Weren't you the one bitching about water on the floor?"

"Water dries," Hakkai replied, smirking evilly as he squeezed the trigger on the hose and soaked his best friend with the cold tap water. Gojyo rushed at the brunette, wrapping his arms around the shorter man's waist and hoisting him over one muscular shoulder. In retribution, Hakkai reached down and stuck the hose into Gojyo's waistband, causing a stream of tap water to soak the back of the redhead's jeans.

Gojyo roared good-naturedly, reaching around to yank the hose out of his pants and away from Hakkai, throwing it in the direction of the sink and carrying the man out of arm's reach. "What the hell, Hakkai?"

"What?" came the all-too-innocent reply from behind. "You look good wet."

"Hmn... Well, maybe you can see more of me wet in the shower," Gojyo replied, heading in the direction of the bathroom, puddles of water trailing behind him.  
---


	24. Nanashi

Title: Nanashi (No Name)  
Date Written: 11/4/05  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 190  
Characters/Pairings: Kami-sama  
Warnings: None  
Spoilers: Volumes 7-9  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
Notes: For cecilydolce--Happy birthday darlin!  
---  
A child with no name. He had never even wanted one, actually. _Boy _or _Hey You _had always been sufficient, anyway. He'd come to anything, like a lost puppy. 

Besides, his toys had never needed names, so why should he?

Toys were fun. They didn't ask annoying questions. They didn't judge him because he was dirty and scrawny and had a bandaged forehead. They protected him when he was sleeping, comforted him when he was sad. They never, ever abandoned him. Unconditional love flowed from stuffed animals and plastic figures.

And they shared their food, what little they could get. They were the perfect family.

Eventually the boy grew up, as boys do. But his love for toys didn't diminish as his size increased--it grew, actually. He soon had a whole castle full of toys and games to play with.

It was his own personal Heaven.

Then, one day, he found the _perfect _toy: a child. Young. Innocent. Impressionable.

Trusting. Trusting beyond comprehension.

So he changed his name. Kami-sama, "Lord God".

After all, weren't humans just the playthings of the gods?  
---


	25. Inner Monologue

Title: Inner Monologue  
Date Written: 11/4/05  
Rating: M  
Word Count: 604  
Characters/Pairings: Sanzo, Hakkai (mentioned), Gojyo (mentioned), Goku (mentioned), random women  
Warnings: None  
Spoilers: None  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
Notes: Sanzo's POV. I dunno where this came from, but it sure as hell was fun to write.  
---  
_A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her._  
--Oscar Wilde 

My body and my heart are torn. My body is sated, relaxed, content.

My heart feels so damn empty. More empty than before we came into this town.

Another nameless, faceless woman is in the cheap hotel bed next to me, sleeping for the moment. This one's petite, small-breasted and lithe...

And brunette.

Short brown hair that is currently sticking up at all angles and reminding me of the monkey.

That thought makes my heart _ache_. I'm supposed to guard Goku, protect him from things like lust, not want to bed him. Maybe it's this damned trip, being in a car with him day after day after day, want driving me crazy.

Heh, that's a funny thought. This fucking field trip making me more screwed up than I already am.

My taste for brunettes has increased twofold since the day Goku and I left Chang'an. I never knew that so many women in China had emerald eyes; and deep green eyes combined with short brown hair is quickly becoming my Achilles Heel.

I'm also developed a thing for women with glasses--it's pretty rare to find them, actually, but when I do it's impossible for me to resist them. The last time I had a woman with glasses, she had been a librarian. Tall, long legs and brown hair.

She had also been stacked, which ended up being a huge turn-off, surprisingly. But when I took her from behind, I almost called out Hakkai's name.

Redheads, too, are becoming a weakness of mine. Particularly redheads with sexy as hell smiles, the ones that slowly slide across their faces. One of those slow smiles is enough to get my dick throbbing against my jean zipper.

I've found that brothels are actually rather fond of half-breed women, too--being sterile, they don't run the risk of being put out of commission by a baby. Patrons also rather enjoy abusing taboo children, cutting and burning and raping them to vent their anger and frustration towards the demon race.

Whenever I have those women, though, I'm uncharacteristically... gentle... with them.

Hey, the kappa isn't the only one who's paid for sex before.

Honestly? I used to be into just long-haired, fair-headed women; some sort of latent Electra complex, I guess. I actually enjoyed falling asleep in the arms of someone who looked like Koumyou.

Now my libido's drawn to the likenesses of my travel companions: dark green eyes, redheads, brunettes, well-built women.

I'd laugh if it wasn't so damn pitiful.

The woman next to me stirs, rolling over to watch me smoke my cigarette. The dingy white sheet falls around her waist, her tiny, perky tits barely visible in the poor light coming from the hallway. "You're pretty good for a priest."

Not what I want to hear. I want to hear a cheerful voice telling me he loves me, begging for food, begging for me to never leave him.

"I always thought most priests were celibate."

"I'm not the best of priests," I reply, rolling over to stub out my cigarette in the ashtray on the bedside table.

"Well, you're better than most men. And you've still got me for a few hours. Wanna go again, baby?"

I look over at her in the darkness, and I can imagine those golden eyes staring back at me with adoration. I lean in to kiss her, rolling on top of her slight body.

The best thing about brothel women?

They don't bitch when you call out someone else's name.  
---


	26. Not Myself

Title: Not Myself  
Date Written: 12/1/05  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 284  
Characters/Pairings: Dokugakuji, Gojyo, Doku's Mom  
Warnings: None  
Spoilers: Up through the third book/disc two  
Disclaimer: Not mine  
Notes: Because she's always portrayed in one way... Here's another view.  
---  
Sometimes I feel like my mind is just… gone. 

I black out sometimes, too. I lose track of huge chunks of time, and when I come to, my younger son is covered in bruises and welts and is afraid of me.

Jien's a good boy; he takes such good care of me since I started losing my mind. He and Gojyo stick together like… well, like brothers. Both of them take after their fathers, may he rest in peace.

I used to be so angry because of Gojyo; I felt he was a symbol of how I had failed, how my husband had ran into the arms of a human woman. Then one day I woke up and it was all gone. I was a loving mother to both my husband's sons, the three of us smiling and laughing and being a big family.

Now that I think about it, that's about the time that I started blacking out, too.

The last time I came to, my son was cleaning blood from under my talons. Had I done something while I was out of it, hurt someone?

Gojyo had a fresh cut on his arm, too. Do I hurt my son when I black out?

Why does the thought of that scare me? Have I suppressed my rage and hurt and anger so much that when I'm sleeping, I hurt those I love?

Please, oh gods, say I'm not.

I can see Gojyo running up the road, a bouquet of red flowers in his hands—just as red as his hair—and suddenly I feel _exhausted_.

Maybe I'll lie down for just a little bit, and talk to my boys when I wake up…  
---


	27. But I Swear Officer

Title: But I Swear Officer, There's No Blood In My Alcohol  
30 bevreages' Prompt: #24 -- Root Beer  
Date Written: 8/19/06  
Word Count: 381  
Rating: T  
Characters: Gojyo, Goku, Hakkai, Sanzo, a poor harassed police officer  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: Drunk driving (sort of)  
Author's Notes: Author's Notes: (sadly) based on true events.  
---  
Hakkai sat calmly behind the wheel as he reviewed the details of the past ten mintues. 

He, Sanzo, Goku and Gojyo had managed to get out of the restaurant without fighting, without gunfire and without Gojyo hitting on the waitress. They had gotten into the jeep and headed out of town, with Hakkai driving at a fairly slow rate.

So why in the world was he getting pulled over by a cop?

Everyone was uneasy as the officer approached the car--he could feel it radiating off them. Sanzo had his hands tucked into his robe sleeves, eyes closed in meditation. Gojyo was calmly leaning against the side of the jeep, running his hands through his hair as he sucked on a cigarette. Goku was leaning against the other side, watching the cop with deep gold eyes.

All of them seemed calm, but were tensed to jump at a moment's notice, if need be.

"Sir, would you mind stepping out of the car please?"

The officer looked young, as young as Goku appeared to be, with messy brown hair. Hakkai spared a glance over at the others before stepping out into the sandy street. "Is there a problem, sir?" he asked plesantly, smiling.

"You are suspected of DUI, would you please hold your arms out."

"I wha-?" He looked back at the others, who were watching the entire scene without actually looking like they were watching.

"Sir, please."

"You're making a mistake..." Hakkai said, but did as he was told.

The officer put Hakkai through numerous sobriety tests, a few more than once. The younger man looked bewildered. "But I saw you drinking..." he murmured, mostly to himself.

Hakkai tried hard to bite back a laugh and failed. "Sir, that was a root beer."

"Of _course _it was," the officer replied sarcastically.

"Check for yourself if you don't believe me."

By this time Gojyo was snickering madly, Goku was confused and Sanzo looked annoyed by the whole process.

The officer leaned into the jeep and pulled out a brown bottle. "It's a beer bottle, I swear it. See? The label even says Home Brewed Root..." There was a long pause. "Sir, I am so very, very sorry for this unexcusable inconvenience," he said immedately.

Gojyo fell out of the back of the jeep laughing.  
---


	28. The Lovers

M/N: This was orginally a drabble written for Livejournal's 100roadtrips community. However, it started screaming at me to turn it into a full fic. A clean version will be found on the adult version on adultfan (dot) nexcess (dot) net The uncut version is three chapters long, btw. 

WARNINGS: This fic will include any one of the following--homosexuality/bisexuality, male/male romance (shonen-ai/boys kissing), (tw)incest. If you don't like it, don't read it. This is also AU.

Disclaimer: I do not own Saiyuki. Unfortunately for me.

Rating: M   
---  
The Lovers  
by Gracelyn Musica  
---  
Cho Gonou walked home from work, a stack of papers to grade over the weekend tucked under his arm. Dark circles, conceiled by eyeglasses, hung underneath his brilliant green eyes, the only reminder of the previous night. Thinking about it put a fresh spring in his step and a smile to his face.

The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the path and turning the sky a brilliant orange-red. The birds were twittering their good-nights to one another and the nocturnal animals were beginning to come out to play, rustling underneath the underbrush along the path. Far ahead of him, slowly coming closer and closer, was the small home he shared. Blue-grey smoke was curling up from it, and Gonou knew he was going to be in trouble if he was late for dinner.

When he finally got to the door he pushed it open and was assaulted by the scent of freshly baked bread. "I'm home," he called tiredly, dropping his bag by the floor and loosening his tie.

Kanan turned and smiled brightly at her younger twin brother. To Gonou, she was a vision, in a simple dress with a white apron and her hair pulled back in a long, loose braid. "Oh, Gonou, you always have perfect timing."

"Sorry dear, I had a conference," he replied, moving to wrap his arms around her from behind. He brushed her hair aside and placed a feather light kiss against the nape of her neck. "I'm starving."

"Well, there's only a few more minutes to wait, but there's enough time for you to relax and have a drink if you want," the woman replied, turning back to the oven.

Gonou groaned, and half-collapsed against his sister turned lover. "God, you're an angel," he told her, kissing her neck again.

"And you're insatiable," she replied, tapping him on the nose with one of her spoons. "Sit, have a drink."

The brunette did as he was told, sitting down at the table. He felt something warm and wet on his nose, and when he touched it, he found spaghetti sauce on his fingers.

He jumped slightly as a curtain of red zoomed into the side of his view, just beyond the boundary of his glasses. He felt a warm, gentle pressure on his finger and smiled at the newcomer. "Well hello Gojyo. Did you miss me that badly?"

"Always lover," the half-breed replied, leaning in to lick the sauce off the teacher's face. "However, I did have the most beautiful distraction."

Kanan threw a dinner roll at Gojyo, which bounced off his head. "He's worse than YOU, Gonou!" Kanan declared, pointing a finger at Gojyo.

Gonou chuckled, watching his two lovers play fighting. While most people thought it was strange that three people lived together in a house on the far side of the village, he was glad that not everyone was privy to their true relationship. He was convinced that no one would approve, especially since his two lovers were a half-breed male and his older twin sister, much less that all three of them shared a bed every night. And he didn't care, really, if everyone hated him for it, he could never put Kanan and Gojyo through that. It wasn't fair for the three of them to be persecuted for their love.

Gonou and Gojyo had met as children, living in the same orphanage. Both had hated it, and that hate for the Chuch had formed an unbreakable bond between the two of them. And while Gonou had lost his parents and (he had thought at the time) twin sister due to a youkai attack, Gojyo's childhood before the orphanage had been much worse. As a half-breed, Gojyo had a family that hated him, and he had run away one day when he was about seven. When the two boys were eleven, they had transfered orphanages, which is where they met Kanan.

Gonou had problems when he hit puberty. He felt a strong attraction to both his sister and his best friend, both of which were big 'no-no's. He had been terrified when he realized that he could lose both of them for good, and that he'd never, ever be able to chose just one.

Fortunately, all three of them had no problem sharing their love. There was more than enough room for three.

The three sat at the table, eating dinner in relative silence, the clink of dinner utensils on china filling the space between them. Afterwards, the two men cleared the table and did the dishes, stealing quick kisses every time the china exchanged hands.

When Gonou put the final plate up, Gojyo and Kanan both grabbed an arm and pressed a kiss to each side of his face. "Guys, please... Graded papers go home tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's SATURDAY, Gonou," Kanan protested. "Come, dearest, play with us."

Gonou tried his hardest to hide a letcherous smirk that threatened to cross his face. "You two wore me out last night. I don't think I can do it tonight."

He felt more than saw his two lovers exchange a look behind his back before Gojyo bodily picked him up and threw him over his bare tan sholder. Gonou grabbed onto the tan waist in front of his face and glared at Kanan, who was following the two, giggling madly. Vertigo righted itself as the brunette was set down on a chair in the bedroom. "Well, since you're just sooooo tired," the elder twin told her brother, climbing into his lap and kissing him thoroughly. "So... Incredibly... Tired..." she punctuated, kissing him leisurely after each long drawn out word. While she did this, she slowly unbuttoned his shirt, running her nails down his now-heaving chest to ghost over his stomach just above the waistband of his pants. "You're just gonna have to watch."

Gonou groaned as Kanan lifted herself off his lap and was scooped up into Gojyo's arms. He spun her around before tossing her on the bed, her dress fluttering and bunching up around her hips before he climbed up after her. God, she could torment him like no one else. He scootched the chair up to the side of the bed as Gojyo slowly crawled up Kanan's body, a look of predatory lust burning behind his crimson orbs. Once they were face to face, Gojyo laid his whole body on top of Kanan, pressing her into the bed and kissing her deeply. Kanan, in turn, wrapped her arms around Gojyo's neck, moaning into his mouth and pushing up against his body.

This was the Kanan Gonou had fallen in love with--passionate about everything in life, even forbidden sex.

Gonou watched as Kanan's body was revealed to him in stages, Gojyo undressing her and tossing her clothes into the far corners of the room. The two men's clothing soon joined her dress, and a naked Gonou joined the other two on the large bed.  
---  
Long, long after the night had began, just as the sun was coming up, Gonou, Gojyo and Kanan lay in bed, sweaty and panting, enjoying leisurely kisses in the afterglow of lovemaking, the scent of sex heavy in the air. The three wrapped their arms around one another, Kanan cradled between the two men.

"You two wear me out," Gonou complained, and Kanan chuckled.

Gojyo reached over Kanan to run a hand over Gonou's bare hip. "You know you love it."

"Not the issue."

Kanan wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing a biting kiss against his pulsepoint. "C'mon, dear, you're a twenty-something male. You're in your sexual prime!"

"And again: not the issue."

"Well, then..." Gojyo leeed over Kanan's head. "You're just gonna hafta watch."

"Eeeeeeeeeevil..." Gonou moaned as Gojyo pulled Kanan over on top of him again.  
---


	29. Wild Goose Chase

Title: Wild Goose Chase  
Inspired by 100roadtrips Challenge #19: Crossovers  
Written: 7/14/07  
Word Count: 276  
Rating: T  
Fandom: Torchwood/Saiyuki  
Characters: Sanzo-ikkou, Team Torchwood (minus Jack)  
Spoilers: For Torchwood Season 1  
Warnings: None  
Notes: For those of you who don't know, I am a huge Dr. Who/Torchwood fan. In the new Season (03) of Dr. Who, the Master says, "And you can tell hansome Jack that I've sent his little gang off on a wild goose chase to the Himalayas." And thus this was born. The drabble that inspired this is over in my _And Some More Gracie's Saiyuki Drabbles_ collection  
---  
"Tosh, you speak an Asian language," Owen said cautiously. 

"Yeah, Japanese," the woman shot back. "This is China."

"Try, please Toshiko," Ianto said softly. "It's worth a shot."

"Don't say _shot _right now," Gwen said, adjusting her grip on her handgun.

The four Brits stood, guns raised, at four travelers. Only one of them--a blond in some sort of robes--had a gun aimed back at them. The redhead and the short brunette had some sort of hand weapons, while the taller brunette had a... dragon on his shoulder.

She cautiously lowered her handgun. "Do any of you speak Japanese?" she tried, feeling hopeless.

"I do," the taller brunette replied. "Just a little."

"Good!" She motioned for her comerades to lower their guns, and the man did the same with his team. "I'm Toshiko."

The brunette pointed to himself. "Hakkai." He turned and pointed to each of his team. "Sanzo. Goku. Gojyo. Hakuryu."

Gojyo gave her a sexy grin, his eyes flicking up and down her body. She blushed as his gaze moved along the rest of the team. _God, he's a redheaded Jack._

She turned and introduced her friends as Hakkai had. "Owen. Ianto. Gwen. We're looking for another, Jack. Have you seen him?"

Hakkai shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry."

"Okay. Thank you very much anyway."

He smiled and nodded. "Good luck."

They stepped back, and Hakuryu flew down to the ground before transforming into a jeep. The four men climbed into the car before heading West.

Tosh frowned. "That way is India, right?"

"Yes," Ianto replied immediately.

She sighed, putting a hand to her head. "Definately not in Kansas anymore"  
---


	30. Making Valentines

Title: Making Valentines  
Date Written: 1/10/07  
Word Count: 862  
Rating: K for boys kissing (gasp)  
Characters/Pairings: Gojyo/Hakkai, lots of random children  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: Yaoi, Fluff  
Author's Notes: A resulting plot bunny that popped up during an RPG with s0hmam0miji last night. And it's never too early for Valentine's Day!  
-----  
"All right children." Hakkai smiled as his students turned to look at him. "It's time for Art. I need you to take out your scissors and glue, we're going to make some presents for you to take home to your parents." 

The third-grade classroom buzzed faintly as the children put their library books away and got out the requested items, chattering to each other as they did so. One of the little girls raised her hand. "Teacher, what are we going to make?"

He smiled, handing out pieces of red, white and pink construction paper. "Well, Ling, we're going to be making Valentines to give to your parents."

The class visibly got excited, the noise level rising and the kids shifting in their chairs. By now they all knew that Valentine's Day was a day to give friends and parents chocolates and paper cards.

There was a sharp knock on the door before it opened, Gojyo's silhouette appearing in the gap. The kids gasped and waved, squirming like little excited puppies.

Gojyo waved back a little, going up to Hakkai and handing him a plastic bag. "You owe me, man. The chick at the grocery looked at me like I was crazy."

Hakkai chuckled, reaching into the bag and pulling out three cans of glitter. "Yes, well, she is very astute," he teased back, laughing softly at the look Gojyo gave him in return.

One of Hakkai's students stood and tugged on Gojyo's hand. "Mr. Gojyo, will you make Valentines with us?" he asked, looking up at him with big eyes. "Pleeeeeease?"

Gojyo laughed and nodded. "Okay, okay, Tin, just stop the begging?"

Hakkai watched as Gojyo got dragged over to the other side of the classroom, sitting at the table with a group of boys, effectively cutting the need for Hakkai's assistance NOW in half. He leaned over to help some of the girls cut out their hearts, stealing glances at the back of his lover's head.

For someone who claimed (loudly) from time to time to hate children, Gojyo certainly got along well enough with them. He chuckled as he saw Gojyo laugh with group of boys, sprinkling glitter about. He volunteered to help in Hakkai's class enough that the kids knew who he was, and he helped with the boys so that things like using glitter didn't seem girly or corny.

He stood back and let the girls go at the glitter, watching them all work. He had a mixed class, half demon children and half human children, with a halfbreed like Gojyo thrown in as well. They got along easily, not realizing the fracture that still existed between their parents, not understanding or caring for the cultural dividing lines between the two races.

This had been what that trip had been for. Not for him, or Gojyo, but for the little ones playing with glitter.

After about twenty minutes of glue and glitter spilling everywhere, Hakkai clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Everyone put their scissors and bottles away and put your Valentines on the art table to dry, and then line up for recess."

There was a flurry of activity as they hurried about their tasks, lining up at the door. Hakkai smiled at Gojyo, watching as his lover started wiping down the desks before walking the kids to recess. He came back right as Gojyo was finishing cleaning.

"Teacher" Gojyo teased, imitating Hakkai's students. "I made you a Valentine"

Hakkai laughed as he was handed a heart-shaped card. "How pretty," he teased back as Gojyo leaned in and kissed him. He chuckled into the kiss. "I saw you cheat."

"Me?" the redhead replied innocently. "Never!"

"You used a glue stick," Hakkai replied, touching the border of red glitter.

He laughed softly and kissed him again. "Open it."

"Oh?" he chuckled, flipping the top open and pausing, stunned. Written on the inside in silver glitter were two words: Marry Me. Underneath the words was a plain silver band taped to the construction paper.

"Gojyo... I..." He looked up at him, stunned. "Really?"

"I thought I'd make an honest man out of you," he replied, putting an arm around his waist.

"Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't." He smiled down at him. "Well?"

Hakkai threw his arms around Gojyo's neck, hugging him. "Yes," he murmured against his ear. "Yes. If you truly mean it, yes."

Gojyo laughed and took the paper, plucking the ring off of the card. "So traditional," he teased, moving to kneel in front of him. He took both Hakkai's hands in his. "Cho Hakkai, please, please say you'll marry me."

Hakkai looked down at him before smiling, truly smiling, back at him. "Sha Gojyo, I would love to become your spouse," he replied as Gojyo slid the ring onto Hakkai's finger.

"Good," the halfbreed teased him, standing and kissing him.

Hakkai kissed him back, both of them drifting off into their own little world. They only looked up when they heard giggling coming from the doorway, Hakkai's class watching the two of them.

"What?" Gojyo countered. "Can't get cooties this way," he teased, laughing when Hakkai smacked his shoulder.  
-----


End file.
